EFF: Tlakula should 'just resign'

Embattled Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Pansy Tlakula should resign before the country holds its fifth national elections on May 7, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said in Pretoria on Saturday.

The legal bid to have Tlakula removed from office will continue after the polls, said EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

“The point of the court action is that we wanted to remove the shadow of doubt that her person casts on the election, in case something goes wrong.

“We still hold that she must do the dignified thing and resign. There is still time before May 7.
She must resign and allow the IEC to proceed,” Ndlozi said at a media briefing.

The investigation into Tlakula’s fitness to hold office was postponed until June 2 in the electoral court sitting in Johannesburg high court on Friday.

Ndlozi said the bid to push Tlakula off the electoral body was far from over.

“This is about the IEC office having integrity, not just during an election, but throughout,” he said.

Stadium issues
Regarding the campaigns leading up to the tightly contested polls, Ndlozi accused the ANC-led government of trying to stop the EFF from holding rallies by making it difficult to hire stadiums.

“We have been struggling throughout. We never got anything in any easy way. We were always met with resistance when we tried to attain venues for public gatherings,” said Ndlozi.

The EFF took the Tshwane municipality to court after it cancelled a provisional agreement concluded with the EFF, on April 23, for hiring the stadium.

Last week, the city issued two press statements relating to the EFF rally to be addressed by party leader Julius Malema scheduled for Sunday.

In the first statement, the city said the EFF had failed to attend an events joint operations committee, which would render that the party’s planned rally “non-compliant and illegal”.
The city then backtracked, saying the meeting would be rescheduled. Permission was later granted.

‘Paranoia’Ndlozi said the debacle with the Tshwane municipality was not surprising.
He said the ANC-led metro had “displayed paranoia and an inability to accept competition”.

“We were not surprised the city was doing that. With our experience, we knew that they wouldn’t succeed. Now it’s all systems go for our rally.

“It’s going to be a final gathering which concludes a long election campaign ... This rally will consolidate our confidence for victory in the elections,” said Ndlozi.

The EFF is scheduled to hold its ultimate campaign rally at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria.

When asked why the EFF elected to hold its final rally in Pretoria, Ndlozi said: “It made logical sense to come to the capital city, because we are preparing ourselves to be government.” – Sapa